Centre least bothered about Tamils, Tamil pride: T R Baalu

NEW DELHI: DMK leader T R Baalu accused the BJP-led Centre on Friday of meting out step-motherly treatment to Tamil Nadu by being oblivious to its demands for a series of developmental projects and assistance to cope with the brunt of natural disasters.

Participating at the debate in the Lok Sabha on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address, Baalu also said governors in opposition-ruled states lose no opportunity to belittle the elected governments and have little regard for the Constitution.

“Many governors think there is a halo behind their head. They won’t care about what is mentioned in the Constitution. They feel they are above everyone else. One governor only read the last line of his address to the state Assembly,” he said.

Baalu further said some governors lose no opportunity to belittle the elected governments in the states and even compete with the opposition parties on this count.

The DMK leader sought a higher budgetary allocation for Tamil Nadu and the inclusion of petroleum products under the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

“We have been demanding policies and programmes for the development of our own state, Tamil Nadu, pertaining to the exemption from the NEET, a higher allocation for Tamil Nadu, flood relief for the state, an AIIMS at Madurai and the approval for the second phase of metro rail in Chennai,” the former Union minister said.

He said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin had sought Rs 37,000 crore in assistance to deal with the devastation caused by heavy rain in four districts of the southern state in December.